Stargate Millennium: Harvester of Souls
by StargateMillennium
Summary: A new spin-of series: The stargate: the ring that has unlocked the universe. It is clear that the universe has some beautiful and wonderful things. But, it is also home to some very horrifying things as well.
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING: This is a new spin off which means new characters and new setting. If you are new then I recommend you read the first episode so you know what's happening. Otherwise, please review and enjoy.**

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think. I've been trying to correct my bad habit of not responding to my reviews.**

**I also have put a trailer for this series on youtube.**

**watch?v=cFh4mIbxyko**

**Quick thing about the trailer: it is not just a bunch of random clips with music; I did not put it in there unless it was going to happen in one of my episodes (with a few obvious exceptions). It may be slightly different but similar enough that you can watch the trailer and point out which clip/audio came from which episode. If you see it in the trailer, it will happen in one of the episodes.**

**I have also started a forum about this on gateworld. threads/89185-Stargate-Millennium If you wish to ask me something just go to the forum page. Anyways, enjoy.**

-.-

**PROLOGUE**

It has been twenty years; it's been twenty years since the first team of humans was sent to Abydos. Thanks to the massive stone ring known as the stargate, Earth has made enormous leaps technology. They have a fleet of ships ready to defend their planet. They unlocked the secret of the lost city of Atlantis and the mysterious ninth chevron that led to Destiny. But, they had barely scratched the surface of the Alliance of Four Great Races. To this end, Earth has launched a new expedition to the fabled city Millennium, built by all four races. It's a new expedition in a new galaxy, and these are their adventures...

-.-

Alien conflicts are, in many ways, like human conflicts. And, if there is a peaceful solution to be found, Corin Nevec will find it. A former citizen of the Ror'char Sovereignty, he was a professor and teacher tasked with not only teaching students alien languages and cultures but also to brainwash them into blindly following their leaders. When the Millennium Expedition accidentally stumbled onto his backwater planet he saw his opportunity to flee and took it. Ridden by fear and guilt over leaving his home, friends, family, and everything he knew behind, he knew he would be branded as a traitor. He is part of the expedition now, traveling with Wolf Pack in their adventures no matter where they take him.

-.-

Previously on Stargate Millennium

The Millennium Expedition was launched form the SGC to the Millennium in the galaxy of Caldwell 70, the capital city of the Alliance of Four Great Races. The first civilization they met was the Ror'char, one of the superpowers of Caldwell 70. During their encounter, the Ror'char mentioned a race known as the harvesters. Major Terra Nova asked about these harvesters but was simply told that it would be better if she remained oblivious. Overlord Exodan Krell talked to former Ror'char citizen, Professor Corin Nevec, about the harvester presence in the galaxy and the destruction they've caused. Despite being mentioned several times, the Millennium Expedition is still oblivious to the identity of the harvesters.

-.-

Corin Nevec stared across the central city of Millennium, admiring the view of the countless skyscrapers and spires that seemed to just grow out from below. He looked through his binoculars at the arm in the distance. The capital of Millennium was actually a massive space station. Around the already enormous central city were four arms that surrounded it like walls, each one with its own city of hundreds of buildings and skyscrapers on the inside. Every time someone looked out across the city, they were looking down on another in the distance.

Corin loved the sight. He has been coming out onto the balcony more and more frequently just to stare. The expedition was nowhere near large enough to occupy the whole city and the arms, thus far, remained unexplored.

"Professor Nevec," a gentle voice called out. Corin turned around when he heard his name called.

"General Mercer," he said in surprise when he saw the aging general walk up behind him. The General's almost oversized black mustache twitched as he stepped onto the balcony, his hands folded behind his back, a friendly smile on his face.

"Enjoying the view?" he asked pleasantly. Corin took another look though his binoculars.

"The sight never gets old," Corin said, staring down on the city on the arm in the distance.

"Professor, I came to tell you I've reached a decision," Mercer said, getting straight to the point. Corin put down his binocular and gave a defeated sight.

"And?" he asked, wanting to get the answer over with.

"Chen is preparing the UAV," Mercer answered. Corin looked up in surprise, not expecting this answer. He asked Mercer to send a probe to his home planet to check on the community he left behind. Corin had just about given up hope that Mercer would say yes. "We can take a few passes over your planet, Yardris. But, that is all I can allow."

For Corin, that was more than enough.

"Thank you," he said gratefully.

-.-

Doctor Steven Chen walked around the platform that held the tin plane. He glanced at his scanner, taking a few final readings. Satisfied, he headed for the stairs at the back of the gate room.

"We're all good down here," Chen said, jogging up the stairs and into the control room. Corin, standing near the back of the control room, stared at the UAV eagerly. He had just picked up and left his planet in such a rush. He had no intention of going back but he had people he cared about back there, neighbors and friends. He could at least check to make sure they were ok.

General Mercer folded his hands behind his back before ordering, "Donavan, dial it up."

"Yes, sir," the technician, Donvan replied, reaching over to the DHD. The silver circle in the gate room began to power up, the inner ring beginning to spin as it began to search for the first symbol. Once encoded, one of the white open chevrons on the edge lit up. Finally, the last chevron was locked in. In one swift and violently incredible motion, a plume of water surged from the center of the gate, halting in midair, before being sucked back in, settling into the familiar glittering event horizon.

Seeing the gate open, Chen announced, "UAV launch in 3…2…1."

A trail of smoke shot out of the tail of the UAV as the tiny plane shot from its perch and through the wall of water.

Corin took a step forward and reached for the laptop hooked up to the Alliance computers. He adjusted the laptop so he could get a better view of the screen.

"We're receiving telemetry," Donavan announced, static filling the laptop screen. There was a click and the video of the planet appeared on screen. Corin eagerly leaned forward, looking at his planet in over a month.

A road lead up to the stargate like a runway with a pair of small parking lots on either sides. Corin knew that Yardris was just a small town. Only locations like cities would have gate ports. Places like this could do with a simple DHD. He watched as the small stores and buildings passed underneath the unmanned plane. Small holographic ads played atop the roofs. Grids of buildings, houses, and stores covered the ground. It was clear that this was a town that held hundreds if not thousands of people. That was when Corin realized it.

"They're gone," he said. Mercer looked at him in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, glancing back at the screen.

"The people," Corin said, staring at the video. "It's midday; the streets should be full of people by now. They're gone."

STARGATE

MILLENNIUM

Chen tapped the attachment to the barrel of his P90 as he waited for Corin with the rest of Wolf Pack. Major Terra Nova waited patiently, leaning against the MALP, her brown hair hanging in a ponytail behind her head, a similar attachment to her own P90. Lieutenant Charles Martin didn't carry a P90. Instead, he cradled a wasp-shape ion rifle, a powerful alien weapons they've picked up in their travels.

"Mind telling me what these are?" Nova asked, her finger running down the rigid box on the barrel of her personal defense weapon.

"It' just a heat sink," Chen said dismissively. "We made it from alien technology we've been procuring. According to the tests we ran, it should absorb most of the heat produced when firing. Now, we can shoot for as long as we like and not have to worry about melting our barrels."

"My gun isn't a risk of overheating," Martin said proudly in his usual Australian accent, holding up his ion rifle.

"Yeah, and you're the only one with the alien weapon," Chen pointed out. Before Martin could come up with a retort, Corin jogged into the gate room.

"I know I'm late," Corin called out, running up to his team. They all looked at Corin in surprise. They thought he would be the first one ready to go, not the last.

"Wolf Pack," Mercer called out from the balcony of the control room. "Major Nova, is your team ready?"

"Ready, General," Nova called back.

General Mercer looked at Donavan before giving the order, "Dial it up." The stargate hummed to life as the inner ring began to spin.

"Wolf Pack," Mercer boomed in an almost inhumanly loud voice. "This is just a reminder: this is a pure reconnaissance mission. You stepping into a Ror'char controlled town. If there is any Ror'char presence, you gate back to Millennium immediately. Understood?"

"Got it, General," Nova answered as the final chevron locked in place, the event horizon forming with a violent kawoosh.

"MALP is on its way," Donavan told Mercer as the mechanical probe rolling through the shimmering puddle.

"Anyone else excited?" Martin asked. "We are seeing Corin's planet for the first time.

"Not my first time," Nova pointed out. "I'm the one recruited him." Martin just shrugged at this.

"Receiving telemetry," Donavan announced. "Area's still clear." Mercer gave a firm nod when he heard this.

"Major Nova, you have a go!" he boomed. Nova turned around and gave the General a thumbs up.

"Wolf Pack, roll out!" she ordered.

-.-

The moment Nova stepped out of the stargate, she dashed for cover, her weapon raised. She cautiously scanned the area. Both the UAV and the MALP showed that the whole town was completely devoid of people but she was still considered the possibility that this was just a trap.

Martin and Chen appeared right after her, their weapons raised. But, there was nothing to aim it at. Corin followed them out, laying eyes on his town for the first time in over a month. He stared at the familiar street in front of him, remembering all the times he drove up this street and through the stargate. Looking at it right now, seeing it empty, it looked…dead.

"Looks clear," Nova remarked, staring at the buildings. The whole town was empty, a dead silence hung in the air like a corpse hanging from a noose.

"Did the Ror'char do this?" Martin wondered, half asking Corin. Corin just shook his head.

"If the Ror'char did this, there'd be guards around," he said.

"Could be a trap," Chen suggested suspiciously.

"How would they know we'd gate back to Corin's homeworld? Nova asked. "And, even if they did know, aren't there easier ways of luring us other than evacuating an entire town?"

Chen didn't say anything but he was still suspicious that the whole thing was just a trap. He expected Ror'char troopers to just appear out of the buildings and start shooting at them.

"Is this the only town on the entire planet?!" Chen asked. "Why would anyone build one town on one planet?"

"The stargate does that to expansion," Corin explained. "Biggest limitation of civilization expansion is accessibility. There's a few colonies past the edge of the town but that's about it."

"And, thanks to the stargate, you can reach civilization in a few seconds," Nova said, filling in the blanks. "We'll split up to cover more ground. Chen and Martin, you two head that way," she ordered, pointing toward the area of town behind the stargate. "Corin and I will head this way." She pointed in the other direction. "If you run into _any_ trouble, radio us and head for the gate. If we aren't there, don't wait for us; dial back to the Millennium. Wolf Pack, roll out."

-.-

Corin could not help but think about his life before fleeing from the Ror'char. He still remembered walking down these streets, going to these stores, talking to the people who used to live in these apartments. He remembered this so clearly he could practically see himself walking down those sidewalks.

"They left their cars," Nova remarked when she noticed that the streets were filled with abandoned vehicles.

"I know," Corin said, looking at the cars, utterly confused. "Evacuation?"

"If so, from what?" she wondered. She scanned the town. It wasn't much different than any place on Earth, but it was obviously much more advanced. The buildings were shiny and pristine, as if they were just made yesterday. The cars were sleek and smooth, as if it was made of a liquid metal. Nova stopped in her tracks when she came upon a familiar sight.

"I'm home," Corin said blankly when he saw the pearly white house in front of him, the light blue tinted windows reflecting the light, the brown roof looking like polished copper. The lawn around the plot was a barren dirt field. But, Corin felt his heart sink when he saw the yellow fence posts around his house, green holographic bands connecting the posts. A single black metallic car was parked in the driveway.

"Corin?" Nova asked when she saw his worried expression. Corin didn't answer. He rushed across his dirt lawn bursting through the door. He rushed through the front door. If he wasn't already light headed with shock, he could have collapsed when he saw his house was now barren. He went over to the stairs and plopped back. He put his hands to his face, trying to take it all in. They found out; they knew that he had defected from the Ror'char. That meant that he had been branded a traitor. His friends, his neighbors, everyone he knew thought of him as a psychotic and a traitor.

Nova carefully walked through the open door, taking in the empty house. She sat down beside him, laying her P90 on her lap. She didn't know what was going through Corin's head but she had an idea. The Ror'char brands those who simply disagree with their policies at traitors and madmen. Corin not only disagreed but ran.

"Back in the Milky Way, Earth met an alien named Teal'c," she said. "He was a soldier of our enemy, the Goa'uld. He defected and fled to Earth and was branded as a traitor by everyone he knew."

Corin didn't answer for a moment, too wrapped up in his own thoughts. Finally, when he spoke, Nova could hear the pain he was in as he said each word with a shuddering breath.

"I know. I read the mission report. He wrote that he fought for his people and believed that he would one day return and they would see that he was right." Corin ran his fingers through his hair, still trying to accept what has happened. "So did I," he said. "I knew when I ran I would be branded a traitor, that my friends, family, everyone I knew would view me as such. But, I will never get the chance to prove to them otherwise. They all died thinking I was a monster."

"We don't know they're dead," Nova said. "You still might be able to prove it to them." Corin just shook his head.

"Look around. What else would've happened?"

"We don't know what happened to them. They could be alive." She didn't really believe this but she hoped that it would give Corin some hope. She didn't know if it worked or not. He stood up and headed for the kitchen. Built into the wall was a dull gray panel with a speaker and a grid of buttons. It seemed to be the only thing left in the house.

"What are you doing?" Nova asked as Corin walked up to the panel.

"It's a telipan," Corin said. "It's like a radio. We can call people on it."

"It's a telephone," Nova concluded. Corin shrugged; he's never heard of a telephone before.

"Yardris emergency center," Corin said loudly at the telipan. A light at the bottom flashed a couple times before the panel began to emit a low drone. They waited for a moment as the droning continued. The call was never picked up. "End call. Yardris gate control." The telipan began droning again but there was still no response. "End call," Corin said in frustration. "Yardris hospital." Corin hung his head when the telipan began to drone without stopping.

He was just about to end call when there was finally a click. Nova and Corin looked up in surprise, neither of them expecting someone to pick up. But, Nova lacked Corin's enthusiasm. For him, it meant that someone survived. For her, it meant that the Ror'char might show up and they would need to make a mad dash for the gate. She put her hand on her radio, ready to call Chen and Martin.

"Hello?" Corin asked when his call was picked up. "Hello?" he asked again when no one responded. Still, the answer was pure silence.

"How do you answer anyways?" Nova asked. Corin pointed at an ear piece hanging off the front of the panel.

"You can tell it to pick up or pick up the ear piece," Corin explained. "Someone picked up; they're just not talking." As if to jinx it, finally they heard a response; but, it wasn't what they were expecting. What came through wasn't a reply but a low, guttural clicking. Nova and Corin exchanged uncertain glances, not sure what to make of it.

"Major Nova," Martin suddenly said through the radio. Whatever was making the noise must've heard him; it immediately stopped clicking.

"What is it, Martin?" she asked, waiting to see if whatever was making the noise would continue.

"What are you guys doing over there?" he asked. "I could've just sworn I heard Corin."

"Where are you two?" Nova demanded to know.

"Some sort of hospital," Chen answered. All the lights were out so the white walls and the red carpet were dimly lit by the sunlight coming through the windows. "Did I ever mention I hate hospitals?"

"We heard Corin's voice coming from one of the offices," Martrin clarified, his rifle aiming at down the hall. "We just wanted to make sure it was you."

"Corin called the hospital to see if there's anyone still around," Nova told to him. "Something picked up." Chen felt a chill go down his spine when he heard this. They both readied their guns. The office that Corin's voice came from was just ahead. They both slowly approached the door, barrels aimed at it. They both took up positions around the door. Martin gave Chen a nod as he slowly reached for the door knob. Before he group grasp the metal knob, Chen grabbed his hand. Martin looked at Chen, confused and annoyed that he just did that. Chen didn't say anything; he just gestured toward the knob. When Martin saw it he understood why Chen stopped him. It was turning. It was turning very slowly very slowly but something inside was turning it. Once turned the whole way, the door creaked open a tiny crack. Martin and Chen aimed, ready to face whatever came out the door. But, the door was now still.

Whatever was inside didn't intend on just coming out. Martin gave Chen a nod. Chen pushed the door open, letting Martin charge inside with Chen right behind. They charged into the office, clearing the tiny room. It was empty. The holographic computer was blank, the folders and papers neatly organized in stacks and folders. Martin saw the telipan built into the table. He walked up to it, stopping and stooping over when he accidentally kicked the ear piece.

"Major?" he asked through the piece. "There's no one here. The phone was on the ground."

Major looked at Corin when she heard this.

"Maybe it was already on the ground before we called," she suggested. Corin shook his head.

"It's impossible to call a telipan's that's already been picked up," he explained. "Someone picked it up."

"Martin," Nova called out. "Get back to the stargate and radio Mercer the whole town is empty. I recommend sending the Dusk Riders and Doctor Osborn to help us."

"With what?" Martin asked. He knew Mercer was completely dedicated to the sake of the Millennium Expedition and was reluctant to do anything that doesn't benefit the expedition.

"To help us find Corin's people," Nova said, looking at her alien friend.

"Oh perfect," Chen coughed sarcastically. "Jennifer Hailey's part of the Dusk Riders. I'll have to deal with both Kara and Hailey in one mission."

"Consider it bonding time," Nova chuckled. Martin looked at the ear piece in his hand and put it back on the telipan.

"Let's go," Martin said, leaving the room. Chen was about to follow but immediately stopped. He took a few steps back and looked up, staring at the narrow ventilation shaft above the door.

"Chen?" Martin asked when he realized Chen was gone back into the room. "What is it?" Chen stared at the vent shaft.

"Nothing," Chen dismissed, leaving the hall with Martin, their footsteps receding down the hall. The room was empty once again, empty and silent. But not for long. If either of them had stayed they might've been around to hear the quiet clicking coming from the vents.

-.-

Nova walked over to the front door and stared out across the empty buildings. She tried to imagine what it was like what it would look like when people were still around. They go about their business, going to and from work. Families would raise their children in these houses, playing outside on the lawn. That's when she realized.

"Corin, do the Ror'char have a thing against gardens or lawns?" she asked. Corin stared at her in confusion before walking up beside her.

"No," he coughed awkwardly, not sure what to make of this question.

"There are no plants," Nova explained, staring across the empty landscape. "Anywhere. Your lawn's are just dirt. Lawns, gardens, there isn't a single plant in this entire town."

Corin looked around, realizing that Nova was right. He was so distracted by the empty town that he didn't realize there wasn't a single plant anywhere. Grass, trees, flowers, the plants, like the people, had also vanished, barren plots of dirt where they once were.

"It's not just the plants," he said, looking at the rooftops with a much clearer mind. "Now that I think about it, there're no animals either. I haven't seen or heard a single bird since we got here." Nova froze when she heard this.

"Every living thing…gone," she breathed. She was about to take a step out when she noticed something. "What's that?" she asked when she realized there was something under the black car in Corin's driveway. Corin leaned over to see what caught her eye. It was almost unnoticeable, completely covered by the black car. Nova readied her P90, aiming it at whatever was under the black vehicle. Corin pulled out his Colt pistol, though he knew it wouldn't do much good if he had to use it.

Nova reached under the car and slowly pulled out the first thing she touched.

"Gas mask?" she asked when she showed Corin a black helmet she just removed.

"Black-Watch guards wear these," Corin said, taking the helmet. "It is part gas mask." Nova reached under the car to pull out whatever else was under there. Her handed patted the cement ground as she felt her way up to the soft object. Her eyes widened in surprise and horror before she dropped down to see what she grabbed.

"We might have a problem," she breathed.

-.-

The Dusk Riders arrived through stargate on schedule, Commander Christopher Umar leading Major Jennifer Hailey out with two other men. Doctor Kara Osborn arrived right behind, her pack of medical equipment almost larger than her.

"Lieutenant, Doctor," Umar greeted warmly. "You both know Major Hailey."

"Hi, Chen," Hailey said cheerfully. He simply grumbled.

"Did we really need the four foot nine blunder blonde?" Chen mumbled.

"Don't mind him," Kara said with a laugh. "He's been cross like that ever since we met. I'd like to think the two are not related though."

"This is Doctor Dannick, our own archaeologist," Umar introduced, gesturing toward the rather uneasy man straightening his oversized round galsses. "This is our medical officer, Isaac McFree." Scruffy McFree gave a friendly wave.

"I still don't like this," Martin said angrily, shaking his head. "When did we become looters?"

"I have to agree with the General on this one," Chen remarked. "I don't think they're going to suffer much if we take a few scraps of technology. Every time we have to repair Millennium or do research we need resources. If you consider this looting, we've looted nearly every abandoned alien base and city we've come across."

"So we take it from an empty town?" Martin asked, still not happy. The only reason Mercer even agreed to send another team to help was because he wanted them to collect technology while they were there. Nova wanted a second team to help investigate what happened but Mercer was more interested in gathering technology and resources for the expedition. To Martin, this wasn't much different than the looters who raided stores during a natural disaster.

"You say there's no one here?" Osborn asked, glancing around.

"Not a single person," Chen explained. "Food's still on the table; cars are still on the street."

"Footprints leading to nowhere," Martin added. "I followed several sets of footprints across the park and they just vanish in the center. It's as if everyone in town vanished."

"That isn't entirely accurate," Nova called out, walking up with Corin.

"Major?" Martin asked in surprise when he saw her and Corin carrying a either ends of a blanket with a large lump wrapped up in it.

"You guys should see this," Corin said darkly as he and Nova set down the blanket onto the ground. They carefully began to unwrap the fabrics, keeping their hands as far away from the load as possible.

"Crikey," Martin muttered, his eyes wide in shock. Umar raised his eyebrows, as horrified as Martin. Dannick immediately put his hands to his mouth in some attempt to not throw up.

"What happened to him?" Chen asked. Kara Osborn went to work, putting down her bag and taking out a pair of gloves. She cautiously walked up the skeletal corpse, its black suit of armor covering its bony body, its black and red decaying skin only visible on his head and bare hands. She gently patted it down before carefully opening the mouth.

"Definitely human," Kara said. "But, he seems to be missing all his internal organs."

"What?" Nova asked, horrified by what she just heard.

"He has an epidermal, dermal, and skeletal structure," she explained, fumbling to remove the armor. "But, everything seems to be missing. There's no muscle, I can't feel any tendons; he is nothing but skin and bones."

"So we safe?" Dannick asked nervously. "Like, shouldn't find cover or something?"

"Unless it's a gun that sucks out your insides, then cover isn't going to do anything," Chen commented bluntly.

"McFree, help me with this," Kara said, reaching down the move the body. "We need to find out what killed him."

"Time to unlock the secret to the galaxy's deadliest liposuction," McFree laughed. Kara responded with an unamused stare. She liked joking but she did not like making jokes about people who died.

"Martin?" Nova suddenly asked. Everyone immediately turned to look at him when they heard her call his name. Lieutenant Martin was staring into the distance at what looked like a bright red fast food restaurant. "Martin, what is it?" Nova asked, staring off in the same direction.

"Someone's still here," he breathed. He remembered his years of hunting back on Earth, every single instinct coming back.

"You can see him?" Nova asked, realizing it might be a survivor.

"Barely," Martin muttered, watching the black figure through the window.

"Do you think we should call out to him?" Nova suggested.

"No need," he said. "He's looking right at us." Nova could not help but shiver at that statement, shiver at the thought that someone was just watching them. A cool wind gently wisped through town, hissing as if it was the souls of the people who once lived here, crying out in agony. And, listening to this wind was the figure in the distance, watching them, stalking them.

"Major, with your permission," Martin whispered. He didn't even need to finish his sentence; Nova knew what Martin had in mind. They had to find out what was

"Commander Umar," Nova said. "We're going to take a look at what that is."

"We'll hold down the fort 'till you get back, ma'am," Umar said in his usual friendly but monotone voice. Wolf Pack readied their weapons. Chen and Nova set their P90's to full auto to suit the close quarters combat. Martin adjusted his ion rifle to minimum yield so he wouldn't blow himself up.

"McFree, help me with this," Kara said as she went to move the body. "We need to find a table or something so I can do a proper autopsy.

"Mind if I lend a hand?" Hailey asked, walking over. Dannick wobbled back and forth nervously.

"You sure we should go inside?" he asked nervously. He could already imagine the thing that killed the man waiting to come out and get them. "I mean, shouldn't we do this back on the Millennium?"

"We don't know what killed him," Umar calmly pointed out. "We might accidentally bring something back to Millennium. We need to stay here until we're sure that it's safe to move him back. There's some sort of apartment nearby. You two can perform your autopsy there."

-.-

Kara Osborn has performed many autopsies before but none of them were like this. She and McFree carefully cut open the chest cavity but was immediately greeted with the sight of a dark gray and worn down rib cage.

They didn't have the extensive equipment they would if they were operating in a normal lab but they still had the blue medical apron along with a fairly large autopsy kit.

"I am seeing extensive corrosion on the skeletal structure," Osborn said as she took in the sight. She carefully took a Q-tip and gently brushed the top of the rib cage with it before putting it into a small glass container.

"Doctor," McFree called out, opening the mouth. Kara walked over and almost immediately saw what he was looking at.

"All soft tissue inside the body is gone except for in the mouth," she said to herself.

"Look at the back of the mouth," McFree told her. "Looks like something was shoved in there."

-.-

Umar shoved what looked like a massive computer into his backpack. Even with the situation at hand they still had the objective of retrieving advanced technology. Hailey walked into the room, a crate full of random machines and equipment taken from all over the town.

"Isn't Alliance technology more advanced?" Dannick asked nervously. He was a lot calmer than before but he was still on edge after what he saw. "Like, shouldn't we focus on looking for Alliance technology?"

"Maybe," Umar replied calmly, zipping up his sack. "This is still useful scrap metal." Umar hauled the now heavy pack to the corner of the room, out of the way.

"He is right you know," Dannick said.

"Who?" Umar asked, more focused on finding more technology in the immediate area.

"That Australian guy. Is it really right to just arrive in an abandoned location and start taking their technology? We still don't know for sure what happened to everyone."

Umar gave a deep sigh, silently acknowledging he was right.

"Commander," Kara said, walking into the room with McFree.

"Found something?" Umar asked when he saw the two doctors walk in.

"We finished our autopsy," she said.

"You know what killed him?"

Isaac gave a tired and frustrated sigh before explaining.

"There's some sort of residue covering the skeleton. It seems to be from some sort of organic acid."

"It seems that something injected an acid into his body," Kara explained. "This…liquefied his muscle and internal organs which were then sucked out through the throat."

"What could've done this?" Hailey asked, unnerved by the prospect of having her insides melted and sucked out.

"There are some species of reduvidae, an insect back on Earth, that feed by injecting digestive acid into its prey," Kara said, disturbed by the thought that the same could be done to humans. "Whatever did this was very careful not to pierce the skin."

If Dannick wasn't already scared, all the blood drained from his face when he heard this.

"A wild animal?" he whimpered. "Something native to the planet?"

Kara shook her head before saying, "Corin Nevec lives here. He'd know."

"And even if he didn't, I doubt that's why this entire town is empty," Umar said. "Let's just pray that whatever killed that man isn't what Lieutenant Martin saw."

-.-

This was definitely a fast food restaurant. Empty trays on the table, ovens were still on but there was nothing on them to burn. The smell of the foods they used to cook still hung in the air. Wolf Pack cautiously entered the building, scanning every corner for whatever Martin saw.

"He was right there," Martin said, gesturing toward a window. Nova walked up to the spot Martin pointed and looked out the window. It was far but she had a clear line of sight on the stargate.

"Who's that?!" a terrified voice suddenly cried out. The team practically jumped when they heard this. Corin's heart soared when heard this. A survivor. His neighbors, his friends, the people he abandoned might've survived.

"It's all right," he called out, heading toward the kitchen where the voice was coming form.

"Corin!" Nova shouted as he took off. It was wreckless to just rush off like that. Corin vanished behind the ovens and grills, sprinting for the back.

"Is someone here?" the frightened voice called again.

"It's ok, you're safe now!" Corin said, rounding the corner to the freezer. He could see the shadow of the person in there. He ran inside…and froze. His excitement was replaced with horror, hope replaced with despair. Time seemed to slow as the figure slowly revealed itself, its long gray snake-like head sliding out of the door, an extra pair of mandibles extending from the back of its jaw. Corin's blood chilled when it stepped out, its two hunch legs leading to three clawed toes. Five sickle-shaped claws extended from its hands like clawed gauntlets, bladed fins growing from its arms. Its demonic face and dark gray scales gleamed in the light. Several long barbed hairs grew down its back like spines. This was a creature straight from a person's darkest nightmare, the thing that lurked in the dark, the monster that people feared to even lay eyes upon. Except, this thing was real.

"No," he breathed, too terrified to move, the creature's glowing narrow yellow eyes peering into his soul.

"Is someone here?" the frightened voice called again. Corin saw a parasite, a dry shriveled mole-like creature the size of a hand, clinging onto the monster's arm.

"Who's there?!' the mole cried out, a perfect mimic of a human voice calling out in fear.

"Mate, you can't run off like that," Martin called, appearing from behind Corin. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the creature, giving one last mutter, "Bugger."

-.-

Chen and Nova were waiting near the front door of the restaurant, oblivious to what was happening. Not for long. There was a loud crash, Chen and Nova immediately turning and raising their P90's. Corin and Martin flew through the air and hit the back ground as the creature crashed through the wall, dust and debris erupting from where it burst through as it turned to face Chen and Nova before giving an earsplitting roar.

Nova didn't even need to give the order. She and Chen immediately opened fire. The creature flinched, holding up its hand as if to protect itself as the bullets. The small slugs of lead bounced off harmlessly off its scales. They both stopped shooting when they realized that they weren't hurting it.

The creature looked at its hands as if it was examining its nonexistent injuries. It refocused on Nova and Chen. The monster opened its jaws again, giving another ferocious roar, opening its mouth even wider. With its additional pair of mandibles, its jaws opened until it was twice the size of a human head. It charged forward, its mouth wide open, going in for the kill.

Chen recognized the fleshy, unarmored, inside of its mouth as the perfect weak point. He aimed his weapon but the creature was faster, immediately shutting its mouth as the bullets bounced off its head. Chen looked up in shock. It was as if it recognized what he aimed was a gun and closed its jaws to protect itself.

The creature began to move forwards, knowing that the warm-blooded animals in front of it could not hurt it. It took a step forward but was immediately met with gunfire hitting the side of its face. It flinched as it turned its head, eyes glowing eyes falling on Martin.

"Oi!" he yelled, shooting it with his nine millimeter. His ion rifle has slid out of reach so he used the next weapon he had. "Come at me you bloody wombat!" He took off for the counter, the creature close behind him. He didn't look, blood and adrenaline shooting through his system. That thing could catch up and kill him in an instant. The counter was only a few feet away but it felt like he was running a mile. Martin leapt over the counter top, turning to aim his gun again. The creature was perched upon the restaurant counter but it had stopped chasing him. Every nerve and muscle told him to just run, but it would be pointless if this thing wasn't chasing. The creature opened its jaws again revealing, impossibly, another set of jaws. A long centipede-like creature extended from its mouth like a tongue, baring its teeth at Martin.

"Alien rip-off," he scoffed when he saw this. With a quiet scuttle, the centipede crawled out of its mouth and fell to the floor. "Or not." The creature turned and left as the centipede leapt at Martin. He raised his hands just in time, the insect trying to reach his face.

It turned its attention back to Nova and Chen, neither of them knowing what to do. If their bullets weren't hurting it then they were running out of ways to fight it. It raised its right arm, revealing a beetle-like parasite clinging it to it. It looked like an earwig, a long insect with a huge set of claws at its abdomen. There was a click as the claws opened up as the arm the insect was attached to aimed at them.

"That can't be good," Chen said. They both leapt out of the way just in time. The claw slammed close. There was a loud bang, the slamming claws blasting away the air around it, pressure wave streaking across the room, a brilliant flash of light as the air came crashing back into the void it had been forced from, tables and chairs shredded by the beam. The claw clicked open, ready to fire. It turned and aimed at Corin, who crawled out of the way as it the claw slammed shut, the pressure wave tearing through the air, the wall and window shattering.

Nova yanked a grenade off her vest. She pulled the pin, released the clip.

"Fire in the hole!" she yelled, rolling the grenade toward the creature. Corin cowered behind a fallen table while Chen and Nova threw themselves through the window and outside, the glass shattering as their bodies hit it. They covered their heads as shattered glass shards rained on their bodies. The creature looked at the round object rolled toward it. Its eyes narrowed, hissing angrily when it realized what the object was. The monster dove through the window, crawling out of sight.

The grenade went off, the explosion sending chairs and tables nearby flying across the room with a deafening boom, shrapnel embedding themselves into the walls. Corin could feel the shockwave from the explosion ripple across his skin and resonate through his entire body.

Nova and Chen peeked back into the restaurant, seeing the devastation of what just happened.

"Someone get this thing off me!" Martin yelled, stumbling past the counter. The giant centipede had a pair of legs clamed on Martin's head trying to reach his face.

"Hold still," Chen yelled, running forward as Nova readied her gun. Chen grabbed the giant bug and pulled. It clung on for a few more moments but now Chen and Martin were pulling on it. Finally, its legs gave way and let go. Chen threw the bug onto the ground where Nova immediately opened fire, bullets easily shredding through the insect.

Martin just collapsed on the floor in exhaustion, still trying to comprehend what nearly just happened. Nova scanned the area. There was a scorch mark on the floor where the grenade went off but no sign of the creature. She began dashing from window to window to see if the creature was in sight.

"Did you guys see that?" Chen panted. "It recognized the gun _and_ the grenade."

"What do you mean?" Martin asked, picking himself up.

"I was about to shoot it in the mouth," Chen explained. "It realized where I was going to shoot it and closed its mouth. Then, it recognized the grenade and _ran_!"

"It's gone," Nova said, slowly lowering her gun as she walked back to the center of the room. "We're ok."

Corin immediately jumped to his feet, fear in his eyes.

"We're not ok!" he yelled, terrified by what he just saw. "This is very bad." Nova, Martin, and Chen looked at Corin. It was obvious he knew something they didn't. "I know why the town is empty. The Harvesters took them. It's the Harvesters."


	2. Chapter 2

"Here they come," Dannick announced when he saw Wolf Pack heading for the house, battered and bruised. He felt a chill go down his spine when he saw that they were not only battered but almost constantly checking behind them as if they expected something to be following. Dannick was not military, he was terrible under high stress situations. The empty town was creepy enough to seeing Wolf Pack returning in such a battered condition was terrifying. McFree opened the door and the team rushed in, their guns raised as they backed up through the entrance.

"Close the door, it might be right behind us," Nova ordered. McFree immediately slammed the door shut. The phrase 'it might be right behind us' echoed through his mind, realizing that something was out there. Corin stumbled and plopped down on the couch against the wall as McFree peeked out the window for whatever 'it' is.

"I think you owe us an explanation, mate," Martin said, darkly, glancing at the window. Martin wasn't the only one shaken up by what they just saw. He thought back when he was a child afraid of the dark. He remembered just thinking about all the squabbling monster lurking out of sight. That thing they just saw was the very thing he always feared was lurking in the dark at night.

"Major," Umar called, walking out from the back with Hailey and Kara. "What's happening?"

"We might've discovered the reason why the town is empty," Nova said explained, looking at Corin. Nova has heard of the harvesters mentioned twice and she still didn't know what they were. Her patience had run out; she wanted answers.

Corin could feel the weight of all the eyes peering at him. Most of the people in the room were soldiers; they've faced life-threatening situations and have seen horrible things before. And, they were all scared of what they just encountered. They wanted an explanation and they wanted it now. All Corin could do was tell them what little he knew, what he feared ever since he was born.

"We're all so afraid of what alien races wait beyond the stargate, worried what the next alien civilization we encounter could bring, we never stopped to wonder what nature could throw at us. It wasn't just the Ror'char, even civilizations annexed into the Ror'char sovereignty reported towns and cities being attacked. The Ror'char government wouldn't tell us what happened, only that the people were…harvested. The Ror'char sovereignty's increased in size because of them, nations fleeing to them for protection."

"Why didn't you realize the harvesters did this before?" Nova asked.

"No one's ever seen a harvest before; you only hear that a town's been harvested. I thought there'd be ruins or destruction. I didn't know they could just take everyone without a trace, or that they'd take every plant and animal in the area too. There're some blurry pictures and videos of harvesters but that's all anyone knew of them. Even then, the pictures that are supposed to be harvesters are never the same."

"I'm guessing they never told you why people were being harvested," Chen concluded gruffly.

"Can we stop saying harvested?" Martin protested. "They're people, not bloody green beans." .

"No one knows," Corin said. "People get taken and are never seen again. It's hard to separate fact from Ror'char propaganda. They say a lot of things about the Harvesters: that only the Ror'char can hurt them, that they can transform into any shape they want, that they're here to eat our brains."

Chen began coughing if not choking when he heard this. Things were so grim earlier and this tiny remark suddenly just flipped that on its head.

"Mmm…brains," he mumbled with monotone sarcasm. Kara could not help but glance back at the body they were autopsying earlier.

"If whatever you saw is the thing that killed that guy they did more than eat his brains," she commented taking the situation a lot more seriously than Chen. "All his internal systems have been liquefied and sucked out, an external digestion. It is meticulous and systematic, making sure the digestive juice does not breach the skin."

Corin's little comment about the harvesters eating their brains may have given them a brief moment of amusement but they all knew that whatever happened to the man in the back could happen to them.

"I think we've learned everything we can here," Nova said firmly, standing up. "I say we take what we have and gate back to the Millennium."

"What about the people?" Martin protested. They still had no idea what happened here that would make every living thing, human, animal, and plant, just vanish. He wanted to stay and keep searching, maybe find the reason. If they were at the SGC and they found a village devoid of life, they would dedicate themselves to finding out why and seeing if they can fix it. Corin knew enough already though.

"They're dead," he concluded, standing up, ready to leave. Martin looked at him, surprised that he would be so fast to say this.

"We have collected plenty of technology and scrap metal," Umar said, looking at the several large packs they've gathered.

"Let's go," Corin repeated, heading for the door. He asked Mercer to let him gate back to his planet so he could see if his friends and neighbors were ok. Now, he wished he never looked. They died thinking he was a traitor and he will never get the chance to show them otherwise; they died hating him.

-.-

The door to the apartment opened a crack, letting Martin peek out. The town was as dead was it was before.

"Clear," he said. Wolf Pack and the Dusk Riders emerged from the building, weapons raised. Corin, Dannick, and Kara were all near the center of the group, protected by the people who actually knew how to fight. They were all back to back, covering every direction. Martin had his ion rifle out. The only other member on either team that was carrying an alien weapon was Hailey. It wasn't the wasp-shaped ion rifle but a large black three-barreled weapon that seemed too big for her to carry. With their weapons drawn and their backs together, they could make sure nothing snuck up on them. The harvester could be hiding anywhere and they were not taking any chances. They cautiously made a break for the gate, not breaking their formation. They covered every direction, each of them trusting the others to watch their back.

"Hailey, dial the gate," Umar ordered as they reached the DHD. Hailey broke away from the group and quickly walked up to the silvery pedestal as the rest of them took up positions around the gate.

"We better hurry up, night's falling," Nova remarked when she saw the sun setting in the distance. The last thing she wanted was to be on the planet with the creature at night.

"Hailey?" Umar called out when he still didn't hear the familiar rumble of the gate's spinning ring. The young blonde was staring at the DHD with a confused look. She pressed the button again but, still, nothing happened.

"What's going on?" Chen asked impatiently, breaking formation and rushing to the silver pedestal. He looked at Hailey for an explanation but all she could say was, "It's not working."

Chen stooped down and popped open the panel at the bottom. If something was wrong this was the first place to check. He's fixed plenty of problems with the stargate in the past while working with Samantha Carter. He didn't know what to expect when he looked at the chamber of crystals but he didn't expect this. He jumped back with a surprised "Whoa!" Hailey stumbled backwards when she saw the inside of the DHD, almost disgusted that it was so close to her legs without her knowing. Nova turned around when she heard the yelling and her eyes widened in horror. Inside the compartment that held the DHD crystals was a massive sac, a pulsating globule hanging inside like a clump of mold.

Kara was particularly interested, walking up to it, reaching out to poke it. Chen immediately grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"You sure it's a good idea to poke the never-before-seen alien fruit?" he asked. To Chen, it didn't look like a fungus but a giant fruit, like a tomato, growing inside the DHD.

"There's only one fruit that's close to the DHD and that's not it," Kara remarked, studying the blob. It took Chen a second to realize what she was saying, indignantly yelling, "You calling me fruit?!" Hailey leaned past the two of them to get a better look at the slimy sack.

"It's damaged the control crystal," she said, eyeing the cracked crystals that had been forcibly shoved from their trays. "What's it doing in here?"

"You don't think that the harvester had anything to do with it?" Dannick proposed worriedly, practically spinning around in circles looking for it. Umar was less on edge and calmly asked Hailey, "Can you fix it?"

"Crystals are all damaged. We can't fix it; we need new crystals."

Both teams instinctively looked at Corin. They did not know the town like he did. If there were spare crystals somewhere, he would know.

"Black-Watch headquarters," he said. "If there are parts to fix the stargate, they'd be there."

"So, you're saying we have to sneak there without that thing seeing us," McFree said.

"It might be too late for that," Martin mumbled, looking upward. Everyone still had their backs to each other to cover every direction; they could not see what Martin was seeing. Hearing Martin's statement, hearing the fear in his voice, they broke formation and turned to see what Martin was talking about. Hailey, Kara, and Chen turned away from the DHD to see what had everyone's attention.

It was there, watching them from atop a building. Its claws were locked on the edge of the building, a menacing growl seeping out of its mouth as it bared its teeth, its glowing red eyes piercing though the darkening sky like a blade. Wolf Pack and the Dusk Riders immediately turned to face the beast, taking up positions and taking aim, forming two firing lines with all their guns bearing down on the target.

"What's it doing?!" Umar demanded to know as Dannick, Kara, and Corin backed up behind the line of soldiers.

"I don't know, it's just growling at us," Hailey mumbled.

"But why?"

Martin glared at the creature in confusion as it stood there snarling at them.

"I don't know," he said. "It's like it wants us to see him." It was only after he said this a dread realization flooded his mind, a cold chill going down his spine. He looked around. Originally they had their backs to each other, covering every angle of every direction. Now they were all staring at the harvester atop a building; they were all focused on it, exactly as it wanted. "Clever girl," he muttered with a slight smile; he could almost laugh at how fitting that quote was or how perfectly the harvester had set this up.

There was no warning, only a loud screech as something streaked past from behind them. It was a gray and red blur that whizzed overhead.

"Kara!" Chen yelled in panic when he saw the gray blur grab Kara Osborn. He lunged forth and grabbed her leg before whatever it was could lift her off the ground, dragging him along. He could feel the cement sliding under him, his clothes and equipment being worn away from the friction. He wanted to grab his pistol but was afraid the moment even one hand let go he would fall off.

Everything was happening too fast for Nova to fully grasp. She saw the thing that grabbed Kara try to fly away in a red and gray blur. She wanted to pursue, was about to too, but the harvester on the building leapt off, landing right in front of the two teams without a scratch, putting itself right between them and Kara and Chen. Nova aimed and opened fire on the harvester directly in front of her. The creature flinched and covered its face as the bullets bounced off its scaly skin.

"McFree!" Umar yelled in shock. Nova glanced behind her just in time to see McFree dragged away. She couldn't see what had grabbed him but soon vanished from sigh, his terrified screams echoing through the air. Jennifer Hailey fired at the thing dragging McFree into the distance, green plumes of energy shooting from the barrels of her gun, but it was too late; they were both gone. Everything around them seemed to come to life; they could see black figures moving through the windows of the nearby buildings. The air seemed to explode open as the sound of gunfire ripped through the air. Half of them fired at the harvester in front of them while the other half rained bullets on the figures half hidden inside the structures nearby.

Umar's eyes widened in horror when he realized what was happening. The harvester had a whole pack and it was picking them apart.

"Backs together!" he yelled. They may not be able to pursue their friends if they form up like that but they wouldn't even get the chance if they get killed. The harvester in front of them snarled angrily as the six remaining humans took formation. It gave a final roar before turning and fleeing. The figures in the nearby buildings paused after hearing the deafening roar, taking a moment before climbing up the side of a building and vanishing form sight.

-.-

Chen could not tell what was happening. He was calling on every ounce of energy to hold onto Kara, the cement sliding underneath him. He could feel the heat of the friction burning through his clothes as he tumbled down the street. He could make out the shapes of cars sliding past but his mind was a blur, his ears ringing. He didn't know how much time had passed but he knew he was being dragged down the street like a ragdoll. The flying creature made several sharp turns, slamming him into the side of the cars.

"The bag!" he called out. "Lose the bag!" Kara flailed around, trying to unclip the backpack off her back. Finally, she managed to unclip one strap. Kara gave a scream as she fell out of the sky and hit the ground, letting the blur streak past. Chen gave a pained groan as he rolled onto his back, his uniform and vest worn away from being dragged across the ground.

"Steven!" Kara cried out fearfully, getting up and rushing beside him. He gave a single wheeze, exhausted by the past few minutes. "C'mon, we have to get out of here." Chen put his arm around her shoulder as she helped him up. Kara may have been the one grabbed but Chen had been dragged down the road for the past few minutes.

She had just pulled him up to his feet when a loud crash split the air, the roof of a nearby car crumbling, glass flying out of its windows as the thing landed. They both looked up, finally getting a good look at what had grabbed them. It didn't look anything like the harvester they had encountered earlier, it didn't have the humanoid appearance the monster they saw before. Still, despite its bat-like appearance or the long beak extending from its face, it somehow bore resemblance to the creature from earlier.

"Into the building!" Chen yelled. He was sore, battered, scraped, and bruised but he instantly didn't care. He grabbed Kara's arms and practically dragged her away as the bat-like harvester leapt into the air and dive bombed them. They didn't look but the creature turned into a blur. Kara and Chen drove through the window in a last ditch effort to escape. They hit the ground, though it felt like the ground hit them. The thing jumped onto the window frame, peering at the two of them. Chen rolled onto his back and opened fire, the P90 rounds hitting it in the face. The creature screeched in agitation before turning around and flying away.

"C'mon, Kara. It flew off but I don't know for how long."

-.-

Martin stared at the crater in the building that he had put there with his ion rifle. He dragged his finger across the hole, ash and dust trickling out of the gaping hole.

"We got played," he said grimly. "If we don't get the control crystal back we aren't going anywhere." Martin has been in bad situations before but this one topped it. He remembered feeling a sense of sadness that the people had just suddenly vanished. That feeling had vanished, replaced with a sense of dread, a fear that something was watching him from the corner of his eye, that the shadows and the unseen alleys of the town hid something sinister.

"The harvester will have to put it back eventually," Hailey concluded, still brandishing her alien weapon. "They need to get off the planet somehow."

"Assuming they use the stargate," Nova pointed out.

"They don't exactly look like the type that use ships."

While Martin and Hailey were talking about how they would escape, Umar was busy trying to radio McFree.

"McFree, do you copy? Isaac, are you there?" Umar cursed under his breath. McFee was an annoying pain, creating jokes at the worst moments, but he was still a part of the team. Umar was not going to just leave him behind.

"Any luck?" Nova asked.

"No response.

"Chen, are you there?"

Nova paused for a moment to see if Chen would respond. McFree was all alone when he was dragged away but Chen had Kara. She may have only been a doctor but at least that meant he had a better chance. She gave a sigh of relief when she heard Chen finally respond.

"Terra, what took you so long to call?"

"Got held up, where are you?"

Static crackled through the radio as Chen took a moment to try to figure it out. Corin, hearing Chen's voice, rushed over. He knew the town better than anyone else; if Chen was going to somehow navigate his way back, he was going to need Corin.

"I haven't the slightest clue," Chen finally said as he and Kara navigated the empty house. He kept looking out the windows, trying to find a street sign.

"Steven, it might be easier if we step outside," Kara suggested, gesturing toward a backdoor around the next corner.

"Give us sec, Terra," Chen said through the radio. Kara led the way to the back door with Chen close behind her.

"Believe me now?" he asked loudly. "I told you this galaxy was not safe."

"Since when has the stargate led us anywhere safe?" Kara pointed out as she opened the door. She finally stepped outside. She hesitated for a moment, afraid that the bat-like creature was still somewhere nearby. Chen shoved past her; he had the gun so it was a better idea if he went first. He kept it raised as he scanned the skies. Soon, he lowered his gun, his attention on the thing in front of him.

"What the…" he stuttered in shock. Kara walked up beside him and her eyes widened in disbelief. The house they were in was built at the edge of a cliff, providing what would be a beautiful of the landscape below. But, things had changed. The view of the landscape was now obscured by a massive figure, a slumbering beast lay curled on the ground that covered the land as far as the eye could see, a massive black shell filling up the entire ground before them, huge spines protruding out of the shell toward the sky. Six massive armored legs were curled up under the slumbering form, a pair of even larger pincer claws folded in front of it. The entire land before had been covered by this beast, they were a dust particle in comparison to this gargantuan lobster.

"You guys find a street sign yet?" Nova's voice crackled through the radio.

"Not yet," Chen answered, still shocked by what he was seeing. "We found…something that shouldn't be here. It looks like a giant lobster…the size of the Daedalus."

Hailey was in earshot of the radio when Chen said this. The meaning of the description doesn't really sink in immediately. It took several moments for her to realize just how massive that was.

"That's impossible," she said, walking over.

"Apparently not."

"She's right," Kara said. "An animal of this size would be crushed by its own weight. This thing should not be alive." Chen was still staring at the beast when a worrying thought crossed his mind.

"Do you think that bird was trying to bring us to that thing?"

"It doesn't matter," Nova interrupted. "Do you know your way back to the gate?"

"Yeah, 'cause I know the town like the back of my hand!" Chen said sarcastically.

"Is there a landmark or anything nearby?" Corin asked.

"We're on a road at the edge of a cliff."

Corin took a moment to remember where that was. He may not have been here for over a month but he still knew the lay of the land.

"Turn away from the cliff, perpendicular to the street that you're on. Then walk straight. You should see signs that say 'This way to the valgrind'. Follow those and you should reach the stargate."

"Alright, but if I get lost the first thing I'm going to do when I get back is shoot you."

The radio clicked silent again. Chen was going to escort Kara back to the stargate but they still needed to repair it, or at least they thought.

"Kara, what are you doing?!" Chen groaned in annoyance when she went to go down the hill.

"That thing is obviously related to the harvesters somehow."

"Exactly why we should stay AWAY from it. Kara, would you please just listen to me for once?!"

Osborn just smiled at that comment.

"If I did that we never would've really gotten to know each other," she said before sliding down the hillside. Chen grumbled in agitation before sliding down after her.

-.-

"Valgrind," Dannick repeated after hearing Corin mention the word. "That's…that's Asgard. According to Norse mythology, Valgrind was the main door to Vahalla."

"There are a lot of words in this galaxy for the stargate," Corin explained. "Valgrind is just another one. What are we going to do about it though?"

"You're the only one who knows where Black-Watch headquarters is and Hailey's the only one who can find the pieces of the DHD we need," Nova pointed out.

"Major," Umar called out, giving up calling on the radio. "I'm not leaving this planet without McFree." If Hailey was to follow Wolf Pack to Black-Watch headquarters, only he and Dannick would be left to find McFree and Dannick was already falling apart under the pressure."

"I can go with Commander Umar," Martin said, readying his ion rifle. "Now both teams will have a Ror'char gun with them. Just leave the bags of resources by the gate; we can get them when we get back. Oi, Major. Those aren't mindless animals. That back there was a trap; these aren't mindless animals, they're pack hunters. We should all be careful."

-.-

"Well, things just got a bit more interesting," Nova remarked. They had made it to Black-Watch headquarters. She was beginning to get used to seeing nothing but an empty and untouched town. It had been as if everyone had just gotten up and left. The rest of the town has empty and abandoned, but the headquarters was not as unscathed. Every window was shattered, massive craters in the building's walls. Random objects, from chairs to papers to smashed computers, littered the ground. The ceiling was shredded with holes, wires dangling from the ceiling. It was obvious that there was a fight here. Nova could only imagine the battle that took place that tore the building apart this badly. One other thing that the headquarters had was bodies. Mangled corpses littered the floor, their helmets scattered across the ground.

"Why is it only Black-Watch that hasn't disappeared?" Hailey wondered. She cautiously walked past the bodies, all of them as mangled as the body they had seen earlier. Corin tried to ignore the scene around him; he wanted to get off the planet as soon as possible. He wandered ahead, quickly exploring the halls, looking for the sign. It took a while but he found it, a metal plaque with number of different phrases inscribed in it.

"Stargate labs," he read. "This is it." Hailey took the lead, walking into the room. It was a rather large chamber with several metal racks lined up in the center and cabinets placed against the walls. It was obvious this was the room that kept spare parts for the stargate. Trays of spare parts were stacked on every shelf. She could see square panels with gate address symbols engraved in them, crystal shards, even the U-shaped handle that would hold the opal chevrons. There were several dozen other pieces that Hailey recognized as the components that would help establish a stable wormhole. But, they were looking for the crystals that would be in the DHD.

"If the harvesters come back I need whatever I can get," Nova said, handing out her P90 for Hailey's Ror'char weapon. "Hailey, trade my P90 for you…"

"Blast cannon," Hailey explained. "Three barrels fire a cloud of projectiles that emit an energy field similar to the one at the tip of Ancient drones; targets are almost instantly melted."

Nova didn't really respond to Hailey's explanation. She just handed the P90 to Hailey and took the blast cannon for herself.

"I'll be right outside," she said. "Find the stuff we need as quickly as possible."

Hailey began to sift through all the stargate parts as fast as possible. This room had all the parts to make a new stargate if necessary. She had to go through it systematically. It took a while but she found the section that held all the DHD components. After that, it was only a matter of looking for the crystals.

"Got it!" she called out as she quickly grabbed all the crystals she need and shoved them into her vest pockets.

"Terra, we're good to go!" Corin said, rushing for the hall, but Nova was nowhere to be seen. An icy shard of worry went down his spine at the thought of the harvesters taking her while they were busy.

"Back here!" Terra called from down the hall. Corin wanted to complain about Terra just wandering off like that but he was glad that she was alive.

"Major Nova," Hailey said as she and Corin walked into the room where she now was. "Find something?"

"You could say that."

Corin was wondering why there was a gentle glow in the dim room. His got his answer as he stepped inside and saw the countless monitors that lined the walls. His eyes went from one screen to another. He recognized the different parts of town shown on all the screens, even inside people's houses and bed rooms. Corin was stunned, complete speechless by what he saw. The thought that the Ror'char were actually watching all of them at all times during the day, keeping tabs on their every move…

"Hailey, do you think you can hack these computers?" Nova asked.

"They are based on Alliance technology, so probably. Why?"

"If these cameras were recording when whatever took the people took place, it might've recorded it. We could find out what happened."

"I'll give it a shot," Hailey said, taking a seat in front of the computer. Her hands flew across the controls to the monitors. One of the screens went to static before coming back to life. It showed the same corner of town as it did a few moments ago, but this time it had people.

"This is from about two hours before the UAV came through," Hailey explained. She typed a command in and the clip suddenly jumped ahead. People were still going about their day but the scene had changed. A thick fog had rolled in, covering nearly the entire town. Landmarks that were originally clear as day were now completely covered by the haze. Objects right in front of the camera were blurred, things a few feet away were merely black figures and everything else could not even be seen. The light of the sun was nearly gone, covered by the blanket of fog. People still walked about, though they seemed a little disoriented by the thick mist.

"Why do I get the feeling that's not normal fog," Nova muttered.

"Gas?" Hailey suggested, inputting another command that showed the scene at a later time. The streets were now crowded, masses of people walking around slowly in a zombified trance. It was as if every person in the entire town was now outside.

"What was that?' Corin suddenly asked.

"What?"

"I just saw something fly by the screen."

Hailey and Nova squinted, trying to find out what Corin was talking about. Finally they saw it, another black dot floating past the screen. Then more followed. Soon, the entire air was filled with them, almost as thick as the fog.

"Are those…bugs?" Hailey stuttered as she watched the screen fill with giant insects, each one the size of a human hand. The bugs began to pick up the people in the streets, lifting them up into the air with their spindly legs and out of sight. There was no panic, not even a reaction to the presence of these giant bugs. They began landing on the trees and lawns, chewing the plants apart until there was nothing left before flying off.

"It must be the fog," Hailey concluded. "It must be some sort of airborne biological agent."

"Still doesn't explain why the harvesters took them," Nova pointed out. "Or why they all look so different. I mean, I understand if the harvesters are diverse but one looked like a bird and another looked like a giant lizard."

"I thought it looked more like a bug," Hailey commented. They only got a glimpse of two harvesters. Nova was obviously referring to the flying one when she mentioned the bird, leaving the other one as what she saw as a lizard-like creature. "Reptiles don't have hair, at least not like that one did."

"Uh…Terra," Corin called out, looking at one of the monitors. Hailey only had one monitor play the recorded footage, leaving the others to continue recording everything that was happening at that very moment. Nova looked over just in time to see a small drop ship fly across the sky on screen.

"We're out of time," she said. "The Ror'char are here."


	3. Chapter 3

Chen looked at the cave entrance, though it wasn't exactly a cave. The walls were hard and rigid like rock yet covered in a fine layer of mucus. It smelled terrible too. Kara insisted on investigating the enormous beast they saw and this was one of the first things they discovered upon closer inspection.

The giant had simply laid on part of the town, crushing several buildings under its massive body. The remains of buildings that had only been partially destroyed still had a couple of beams and walls still standing, the rest of it crushed into the ground like grass underneath a person's foot. Pieces of debris completely covered the roads, mangled beams of metal pointing towards the sky. Mounds of brick and debris scattered across the ground. It was almost strange seeing this patch of destruction in the untouched town. This single orifice in the side of the animal's shell looked like a door or some sort of entrance and was on the same level as the ground.

"This leads right into the thing?" Chen asked in disgust. Kara was more perplexed than grossed out. She has dissected and operated on strange creatures before so this was normal for her. One of the things she did when she worked at Area 51 was autopsy wraith cadavers. She would rate this about equally disgusting.

"Why would an animal need this in their shell?" she wondered aloud.

"Maybe it'll explain how it got so big. Hollow shell means less weight."

"No. Even if its entire shell was hollow, that still isn't enough weight loss to stop it from being crushed."

Kara stepped inside without a second though while Chen reluctantly followed. He tried his best to ignore the squelching under his boot and tried even harder to not think about slipping.

"Dead end?" Kara said as she shined her flashlight at what seemed to be the end of the tunnel, a large fleshy wall with some sort.

"And this is the part where we turn around," Chen said forcefully. Kara was not as easily swayed. She didn't have her pack anymore but she still had some stuff in her vest. Kara took out a Q-tip and a small plastic jar from her pocket. She swabbed the ground and put the tip into the jar.

"If these harvesters are related to this thing, then they must have some sort of symbiotic relation with it. It's odd; you said the harvester used creatures attached to it to attack, indicating some sort symbiotic relation between the two. Now, there's a giant monster that also has a symbiotic relation with them. It's almost as if all these animals were designed for that."

"You ready to leave yet?" Chen asked impatiently. The atmosphere, and the smell, was getting to him.

"Yup," Kara said, putting the jar into her pack. A jar of random goop from the ground may not seem like much but she knew that with the right equipment she could figure out everything she needs to know about the beast.

Chen took a big breath of fresh air as he stepped outside. There was something about standing inside the giant beast. It felt like it was secretly eating him alive, that the simple hole was a cell where he would be executed. And, even though it was asleep, Chen could not help but feel it was watching him.

"C'mon, it's a long walk," he said, eager to just leave the creature be. Kara could not agree more. It was almost a pity they didn't look behind them one more time before leaving. A massive dome of octagons had seemingly appeared out of nowhere on the side of its body. There was a gentle crunch as it seemed to extend forth, in some attempt to follow the two, still attached to the creature by a thick stalk. It then slid back and its dome seemed to reattach itself to the side of the head, still watching them.

"Tell me I didn't hear that," Chen said to Kara, wide-eyed after feeling the ground rumble.

-.-

Corin had no idea how long he had been staring at the screens. He always knew that the Ror'char watch and track the moves of every citizen but he never thought he was actually be where it happened. He also could not help but notice the death and emptiness through the monitors.

"You ok?" Nova asked when she noticed Corin's grim expression.

"I'm fine," Corin insisted, his eyes still locked on the screens. He could tell which house was which through the monitor. He remembered the people who used to live there, the people who were now dead. This man had returned home merely to learn it had been destroyed. Nova knew he was still thinking about this. She understood the pain of not being able to redeem yourself in the eyes of those you cared about.

"What is Black-Watch anyways?" Nova asked, trying to find a way to get Corin's mind off of everything.

"It…uh," Corin stuttered. "It's almost like the Ror'char law enforcement; they keep the peace and execute the criminals."

"Execute," Nova repeated. "No arrests?"

"Some, but it's rare. Criminals are just killed on sight. They use these cameras to track every move of every person in the town so they always know what happened. The only ones they arrest are the people who disagree with the leader's decisions and they are taken to reeducation camps. All my life, I was told what to believe, I was told how to think. I hoped I could one day I could show my friends and family the beauty of having a world where people could believe whatever they want, that one situation could been seen and interpreted in more than one way."

"The Ror'char still have two galaxies under their control, billions of people under their rule. You can still show them."

Corin fell silent when he heard this. He knew that he could still liberate the other planets the Ror'char had under their domain but he was more concerned about this one, the one that was now barren and dead.

"Hailey, you done?" Nova asked. Hailey was still at the computer, trying to hook up a drive and her fingers flying across the keyboard.

"Hold on," Hailey insisted. "The Ror'char might know something about the harvesters." She entered the final command to download the data but she still could not help but read it as it passed by.

Nova whipped around when she heard a soft slither, beginning to fear what could be out there. The hall was empty, but she could only imagine what was out there hiding in the shadows. She hated this feeling, the feeling that she was being hunted, stalked from the shadow. She remembered as a child of being scared of the dark or the monster in the closet or under the bed. As she grew older she looks back she would laugh at how naïve she was back then. All of a sudden, it was as if all her fears were founded, that there were monsters under the bed and in the closet, that it was her fear of the dark that saved her.

"Tell me you heard that," she asked Corin darkly. Corin was still staring at the screens when he heard his name called. It threw him back into reality, taking another several seconds to look around. He turned to look down the hall to see what she was talking about.

"Terra, look out!" Corin yelled. Nova barely had enough time to glance behind her. For a brief moment, she had no idea what Corin was so panicked about. It was only after she felt it breathe on her neck did she realize what was happening. Realizing it had been noticed, inch by inch, scale by scale, it reappeared, the color returning to its scales like a chameleon coming out of camouflage. She realized that this harvester looked like an enormous cat, perhaps a cougar, standing on its hind legs with scales where its fur should have been. The smell of putrid flesh leaked from its jaws as it bared its three rows of teeth. Nova aimed her weapon but never got the chance to pull the trigger; the cat-like harvester swiped it out of her hands and sent it flying across the room. Suddenly, she felt a sharp burning pain in her chest as it slashed at her, its claws tearing through her uniform and slicing through flesh with ease. She gave a yell of pain before falling to the floor. She gritted her teeth, the smallest breeze in the room making her would scream with pain. The air made it feel like razor-sharp icicles were stabbing at her chest, warm blood flowing out onto her shredded clothes.

Hailey grabbed her P90 and opened fire, a storm of bullets hitting the harvester…and bouncing uselessly off its scales. It fearlessly advanced forwards and seized her by the neck with one hand while pinning her arm that held the gun with the other. It hissed menacingly through its fangs as it opened its mouth…and widened it. It had opened its jaws so large that it could easily fit her head inside the thing's maw. But, it had no intention of eating her, not in the usual sense. Hailey thought about the corpse they had examined earlier. She thought back to when Samantha Carter had first recruited her for the stargate program. She was so young and headstrong back then, humbled by the discovery of what was out there, and was now about to be killed by one of the things from out there.

Corin grabbed his pistol and took aim but hesitated again. All their guns were useless against the harvester's armored skin. But, he remembered 'only the Ror'char can fight the harvesters'. He thought it was mere propaganda but perhaps there was more to it. He dove for the fallen blast cannon. Corin still wasn't good at aiming but luckily he was using a shotgun; aiming was not as important. He pulled the trigger. A plume of green energy exploded forth from the barrels, tearing through the monster's body. It reared back and screeched in pain as the force of the blast sent its severed right arm hurtling across the room. It released Hailey, no longer interested in feeding. Corin fired again, another plume of energy bursting out of the barrels and hitting the wall, the blast incinerating it into ash. The feline harvester leapt into the ceiling, the metal vent exploding as it forced its way up.

"Terra," Corin called out worriedly. Nova growled in pain as she forced herself to sit up. The sharp burning pain had numbed to a dull stinging ache but it still hurt like hell. Hailey and Corin took Nova by the arms and helped her up.

Corin handed Nova the alien gun, still stunned he just used it. Corin has never been good with weapons. The only time he ever actually made anything happen with one, he had closed his eyes from the shock of seeing it fire. But this time, he managed to fire it with the barrel of the weapon locked on the target.

"Time to go!" Hailey announced as they all turned to head for the exit.

-.-

Offices usually felt warm and welcoming, at least to Martin. Seeing one empty and abandoned, the only light coming through the shades covering the window, it felt ominous and eerie. The dead silence sounded like a piano playing in the background, playing a final melody before their death. He thought about all the times he went hunting back on Earth. It seems that the roles had reversed. He was no longer hunting the animals; they were hunting him. He, Umar, and Dannick were still looking for McFree, but Martin could not shake the feeling that this was another trap.

"Guys!" Dannick called out from across the office. Umar may have acted calm and composed but he was afraid for McFree. He and Martin rushed over to where the nervous archaeologist was. Their eyes widened in shock when they saw, crawled up on the floor, unconscious but alive, Isaac McFree.

"They left him alive," Dannick pointed out. Umar crouched near McFree's body, feeling his pulse.

"But why?" Martin had to ask.

"You'll forgive me when I say this: but I don't really care," Umar said calmly. "Hey," he hissed, shaking McFree's body. Isaac rocked back and forth before his eyes fluttered opened. He practically jumped to his feet in shock, spinning around as if to look for something.

"Son, take it easy," Umar said, standing up and grabbing a firm hold of him. McFree spun around several more times before plopping against the wall of an office cubical.

"Let's not do that again," he panted, his eyes still wide with shock.

"They let you go?" Martin asked.

"I don't know. I blacked out."

Martin stared at McFree suspiciously. Why would the harvesters drag him off just to let him go? It didn't make any sense. He looked around the room. There were so many places to hide that it wouldn't surprise him if the harvesters were just waiting to attack. Still, if they wanted to ambush the group, they wouldn't need to leave McFree alive.

"Don't' move," a hollow voice echoed through the room. The four of them froze when they heard this. It was a cold almost demonic voice, an all too familiar demonic voice. They stayed still as a pair of Ror'char troopers marched in, their weapons lined up with them.

"Turn around," the trooper ordered. The four of them cautiously began to inch around. Martin considered raising his gun and firing. Umar and Dannick only had conventional human projectile weapons, something that would take several seconds to kill a Ror'char trooper. Martin was the only one with the ion rifle and could kill a trooper with one shot. His heart sank when he realized there was not one but two troopers standing before him. Even if he did manage to shoot and kill one, the other trooper would easily kill him or someone else before going down. Martin glanced from one trooper to the other. He even glanced at Umar, who remained almost unusually calm. McFree looked shocked, still trying to take in what is happening. Dannick was absolutely terrified, still not used to life and death situations. Martin glanced back at the troopers, trying to think of a way out. He was just about to give up when he noticed something. Everyone was so focused on the troopers that they did not notice the thing crawling on the ceiling behind the two alien soldiers. Martin immediately recognized the harvester from before, the first one they encountered. It was now on the There was no warning, only a sharp crack as the creature reached down and snapped his neck. The trooper's wore armored helmets so there was no way to feed on them the same way they fed on the Black-Watch guard earlier.

The other trooper turned around at the sound of crunching bone, coming face to face with the monster. Their eyes locked, the harvester hissing ominously, baring its teeth. The trooper raised his weapon, ready to fire, but the creature was faster, leaping on top of the Ror'char trooper. The force of the jump threw him backwards into the side of an office cubical, the delicate wall crumbling as they hit the ground, the small items on the desk scattering across the ground while larger ones like the computer came tumbling down to the floor, shattering on impact.

"That's our cue," Umar announced as the four of them took off for the exit. Martin glanced back at the two struggling figure, the alien soldier using his rifle to hold back the menacing jaws of the harvesters. The trooper finally managed to wedge his feet between him and the monster, pushing the animal off of him. He aimed his weapon and fired, the blue bolt of energy tearing through the air with a loud electric crack, shredding through the office cubicals in front of it. The harvester dashed around the office, a dust cloud rising from the destruction. Out of nowhere, the harvester emerged from the dust and took a swing at the trooper, who raised his rifle in defense at the last moment. The razor sharp claws knocked the weapon right out of his hands.

The harvester was faster and stronger than the trooper in every way. But, it was still an animal. The trooper knew how to fight, he was taught and trained to overcome simple brute force. After dodging several swipes, the trooper managed to reach into his pocket and whip out his buzz sword, the humming blade extending forth from its handle. The harvester leapt back from the weapon, instantly recognizing that it could cleave through its flesh like a buzz saw through paper. It leapt back as the trooper held the sword out in front of him, keeping its distance from the sword. The creature backed up, its eyes locked on the trooper.

The trooper eyed his fallen rifle. At long range a gun like the ion rifle could easily take out something like this harvester. But, the harvester knew how to close the distance and they lose their effectiveness at close range. He would have to stick to his sword.

The trooper charge forward giving a final battle cry as the harvester leapt at him with a single deafening screech.

-.-

Rushing out into the open from Black-Watch headquarters, Nova looked at the sky when she heard a gentle rumbling. Her entire body still ached from getting clawed but it was manageable. The sun had nearly completely set but she could still see a large pod gliding through the skies.

"Stryker!" she yelled as the ship turned to face them.

"Won't they think we're survivors?" Hailey asked Corin.

"Harvesters don't leave survivors; they'll assume we're pirates!"

Corin looked around him desperately, trying to find a way to escape. The town was empty and there was nowhere they could hide. Buildings could simply be destroyed. They had to find a way to escape. If they tried to do it on foot they'll be destroyed in an instant. That's when he realized the answer was right in front of him, abandoned and littering the street.

"Here!" he yelled, opening the door of a car. If the fog was what made everyone walk outside, it was safe to say it would make everyone unlock and get out of their cars. This was the fastest way to get back to the gate. Hailey jumped into the back of the car. Nova glanced at the sky one last time before jumping into the seat next to Corin. "Hang on!" yelled, twisting the key that was still in. The car hummed to life. The roads were still covered in cars so he was going to have to maneuver around them but it was still going to be faster than on foot. He practically floored the pedal, reversing into another car to get out before switching gears and slamming the pedal back down and rocketing forward down the street. It was just in time too. The ground where they were only a few moments ago exploded, the nearby cars shoved aside by the force of the blast. Corin gritted his teeth, the pressure wave throwing the car forward as he sped off, dirt and debris landing on the windshield.

"Good thing cars have inertial dampeners," Corin said through gritted teeth as the stryker flew overhead, its ominous shadow passing by their vehicle. Corin veered around the cars that checkered the street, the tires screeching as they gripped the road with every sharp turn. Nova watched as the stryker flew to the skyline before pausing, turning around, and rocketing straight towards them. Green bolts of destructive energy was blasted at them, cars around them exploding. Nova gripped the seat. She hated being vulnerable like this, being able to do nothing but watch and wait.

"Hailey, the moment we reach the stargate, fix the crystals!" Nova ordered.

"My thoughts exactly," she said, clinging onto her seat. Nova looked up at the sky and her heart sank.

"TURN!" she yelled at Corin. Corin spun the steering wheel, the car screeching as its tires skidded across the ground as a pair of drones, invented by the Ancients and adapted by the Ror'char, flew out from inside its wings. The car skidded across the ground and took off down another alley. On drone didn't get the chance to react and rammed into the ground, the road bursting open like a balloon. The second drone made the turn and flew off down the alley. Corin glanced at the rear view mirror just in time to see the second drone hit an empty car, sending it flying down the road.

"This is Nova, Martin, Umar do you read?!"

"This is Umar. We have McFree and are headed back to the gate! What about Osborn and Chen?"

"Chen, Osborn, are you at the gate? Chen, do you read?!" Nova's heart dropped when neither of them responded.

"I see the stargate!" Corin yelled, his heart soaring. It looked like they just might make it after all. Just then, the ground right behind the car exploded, the road and the car flying up into the air. The world was spinning, flying out of control, glass from the window flying around the car, the air screaming, filling their ears with ringing. The car hit the ground, landing on its roof.

Nova groaned in pain. The slashes on her chest had just begun to completely numb but the crash now made them feel like they were on fire. She tried to unbuckle herself from her upside down seat but it felt like she was just flailing her arms in the air. Her arms felt like melted cheese. Even if by some stroke of luck she grabbed the buckle she didn't think she could press the button and unstrap herself. She growled in frustration as she reached for her dagger. She's used it a thousand times, she could grab it on instinct. She slid the blade under the seatbelt and pulled, the dagger slicing through the safety harness. She gave a yell of pain as she hit the ground, the glass crunching underneath her. She tried to get her bearings but the world around her was soaked painting, the colors merging together. She looked up. Corin and Hailey were also hanging from the seats. If it wasn't for the car's inertial dampeners, they would be dead. She struggled to simply crawl across the ground, her muscles refusing to obey her will.

She was still trying to crawl out when she felt a pair of hands take hers, gently dragging her from the wreckage.

"Major!" Martin called out, snapping his fingers in front of her face. She held her head in pain as she sat up. Umar and McFree ran to help Hailey and Martin out of the car.

"They're just unconscious," McFee called out. Umar rummaged through Hailey's pockets, emptying the crystals into his hands.

"We're going to need Hailey or Chen to fix the DHD," Umar said. "Where are those two anyways?" They carefully dragged Hailey and Corin beside the DHD, where the sack of scrap metal still was.

"Corin, Hailey?" Nova asked, still trying to get the ringing out of her ear.

"They're fine," Martin said, looking up at the sky nervously. The stryker saw that it hit the car and assumed they were killed in the blast, buying them a few minutes until it will come back to double check. "Oi, Chen, you there?" Martin asked through the radio, though nothing was static was the response.

"What're we going to do now?" Dannick whimpered. They were now stuck on the planet with both the Ror'char and the harvesters.

"Now?" Martin repeated with a slight chuckle, looking at the sky. "Now, we are ROYALLY BUGGERED!"

The stryker reemerged from behind the buildings, soaring straight at them. There was nowhere to hide and nowhere to run. It would only take one volley to take them out. Then, at the last moment, it veered off course as the ground beneath their feet began to shake. The ground under the stryker burst open, a massive armored beast bursting forth from the ground, cars and giant chunks of debris flying into the air as it opened its jaws and clamped them on the stryker, the starfighter vanishing in a blinding explosion.

"C'mon!" Nova groaned in disbelief as it slammed its enormous claws against the ground. This was the first time she's laid eyes on the beast. Hearing Chen describe it was one thing but she never fully comprehended how big it was until she saw it, a massive monster that looked like it could reach up and touch the sky, something that made her look like a louse by comparison. Its every sound rocked the planet until it felt like the ground would simply shake apart, its every move sending gusts of wind that shook the buildings. This was a beast that could crush them in an instant just by laying down, they were insects to this giant, dirt just waiting to be crushed.

"Terra!" a voice yelled. Nova saw in the distance Chen and Osborn running at them. "Accidentally woke up sleeping beauty. You fix the DHD?"

"Hailey's knocked out," Umar explained, handing Chen the crystals. The ground beneath their feet trembled as the giant monster roared toward the sky. Their conversation was completely cut short as they turned to see what was happening. The massive creature then did the impossible. It began to lift up off the ground, spare dirt falling out from its belly and legs. They watched as it seemed to break every laws of reality and physics and begin to fly toward the sky, disappearing in the clouds.

"We better hurry," Nova commented. The oversized creature may have flown off but that didn't mean it wouldn't come back. It took Chen a full second to realize the responsibility to fix the DHD had been dumped on him.

"We still need get rid of crap in it," Chen pointed out as he popped the DHD panel open. Osborn didn't even wait for anyone to ask. She reached in, grabbed the giant fruit, and yanked it out. Chen glanced at her. He still disapproved of just touching random alien things but they didn't really have a choice. Chen carefully slid the crystals into their proper places.

"We're good!" Chen called out, giving Martin a thumbs up, letting him begin dialing the gate. The moment the shimmering wormhole formed, he began punching in his GDO code.

"Let's move!" Nova ordered. Umar and McFree grabbed the backpacks of metal and chucked them through the gate. Osborn and Martin took Corin and Hailey's unconscious bodies and backed up through the gate. Dannick jumped through the event horizon without a second thought. Umar and McFree was right behind him. Nova glanced back at the devastation as Chen dashed through the wall of water before she followed suit.

-.-

Mercer silently stared at the stack of papers on his desk after listening attentively to Wolf Pack, the Dusk Riders, and Doctor Osborn after the mission.

"So, should we expect the harvesters to pose any sort of threat?" he asked the team.

"I can't say for sure," Osborn answered. "From what we've seen, the harvesters act on animal instincts. The one we saw worked together in a pack, demonstrating intelligence comparable to advanced races. I still don't know what hierarchal structure they're governed by as a whole."

"Do we know why they're taking people?" Mercer asked, flipping through another the papers.

"I can't say for sure," Kara said, shaking her head. "But, the DNA of harvester pieces we brought back was…changing."

"Changing?" Nova repeated, confused by what this meant. "It was mutating?"

"More than that. There was foreign DNA within its system, the DNA of the guard that we found. It seems that they're capable of absorbing DNA from their environment and incorporating it into their own. It's part of their feeding. The acid that they use is not only a form of external digestion but a form of lysis, preparing the DNA to be uptaken."

"Why would they do that?" Umar had to ask. Osborn could only shake her head at this question. This was one thing she may never understand.

"I've talked to the construction crew," Mercer explained, setting the papers down. "The scrap metal should help with any future construction and projects. Now that we are aware of the harvesters, we can take advantage of their harvests to gather more supplies."

Nova usually stayed silent when it came to Mercer making questionable decisions but this was something she had to protest against.

"General, with all due respect, I'm not sure how comfortable I am actively looking for harvested planets to take resources from." Martin had also jumped to his feet, completely disturbed by the mere thought Mercer might have them do this.

"If they have been harvested, those resources aren't going to help them," Umar pointed out. "But, they can help us."

Mercer looked at Umar then back at Nova and Martin.

"Major, perhaps we can discuss this later," the General suggested. "I'll give you the chance to explain your position. Convince me." Nova gave an approving nod. At least Mercer was giving her the chance to make her argument. "You're dismissed."

Hearing this, the crew got up to their feet, getting ready to leave. The Dusk Riders and Doctor Osborn all left but Wolf Pack stayed behind. Mercer could see the concerned looks on all their faces.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" he asked. Martin looked at the stairs that the Dusk Riders had just gone down.

"It's McFree," Martin said. "The harvesters take him just to let him go. And when the Ror'char found us, the harvesters attack them."

"They wanted us to bring McFree back," Chen translated.

"It is to my understanding that Doctor Osborn gave him a clean bill of health," Mercer pointed out, straightening out his papers. Martin maintained his suspicious look. "I'll order McFree be kept a close eye on but that's all I can do." Martin gave a satisfied nod. "You're now dismissed," Mercer said calmly. The four of them all stood up in unison, ready to go.

"Professor Nevec," Mercer said loudly before Corin could get the chance to leave. "Can I talk to you?" Corin was really hoping to get away. After everything that's happened today, he just wanted to be alone.

"I'll catch up later," Corin called out to his team, who wanted to stick around and see what this was about. Corin turned back to face Mercer, not in the mood for lectures.

"Professor," Mercer opened up once everyone was gone. "Is there something you'd like to say?"

Corin gave Mercer an unamused look.

"Why would there be?" Corin asked, trying to read the General's expression. But, Mercer's face was unmoving; he couldn't tell what the General was thinking.

"You came back home and found it destroyed," Mercer said slowly. "You left something precious behind and when you came back it wasn't there."

"So?"

Mercer raised an eyebrow at Corin's sharp response. It seemed cold, even for General Mercer. It was abnormal to hear Corin so emotionless about the subject. Mercer gave a weak smile, understanding how Corin felt.

"We are not that different, Professor," Mercer pointed out. "We all have loved ones, friends and family that we leave behind. We spend every night dreaming of seeing them again…and risk not being there when something happens."

"I came back home just to find my family dead."

"Not all of them," Mercer said solemnly. "You're not as alone as you think." Corin stared at the General in confusion, not understanding what he meant. Corin was dismissed shortly after. He proceeded down the steps into the gate room and into the hall to the left. He kept thinking about what Mercer said. Corin didn't really put much weight into it but he could not help but wonder. Corin made his way to his bedroom, wanting to just sleep for the rest of his existence. It has been a long day for him.

The doors to his room slid open with a gentle hiss. It was a lot more furnished than it was when he first moved. He's since gotten a desk, bookshelf loaded with books, and a computer. Everything was the way he left it, but it was more crowded than usual. To Corin's surprise, as the doors opened he found Nova, Chen, and Martin all standing around the room. Nova was in the corner of the room while Martin sat on the bed. Chen was perfectly happy with the chair.

"Why are you in room?" Corin asked. "Better question, how did you get in my room?" All doors in Millennium were automatically locked, only accessible if the proper code is entered. Martin and Nova both looked at Chen, the only person who could hack the door. "Why do I bother asking?" Corin muttered, tossing his jacket to the side. The three of them all just stared at Corin. They didn't move; they didn't say anything. They only stared as he went over and picked up the picture of his wife, Andrea, on his desk. He set the tiny picture down before turning to face his friends and asking in exasperation, "What are you guys doing here?"

Nova didn't answer immediately. She walked over to him, gently placing her hand on his shoulder and looking into his eye. Corin was so used to seeing the tough battle-hardened Terra Nova that seeing her face soften was abnormal.

"We wanted you to know," she said, Martin and Chen standing up and walking up beside her. "The past two days have been hard for you."

"We wanted you to know we're here for you, mate," Martin added. Corin looked at the three of them, finally understanding what Mercer meant.

"Thank you," he said, looking at all of them. "I…I just…thank you." Corin gave a weak smile. The family he left behind on his planet may have been killed but he was not alone in the universe. He had another family…a family on the Millennium.


End file.
